Welcome to the Linear Motion Wiki!
PUSH has posted some content to this site based upon research we conducted when designing and building Linear Motion, but now we need your help to continue building this website. If you are a student, a teacher, or someone who loves to learn or share your knowledge, this site is for you. Please add content to any of the existing pages, or make your own page. Instructions on Basic Editing can be found on the side-bar at the right, or by clicking here.
Linear Motion is an interactive kinetic sculpture, at McWane Science Center in Birmingham, AL.
"Linear Motion" follows the natural laws of physics to mimic motions that we see all around us in nature. Visitors have the opportunity to learn about energy conservation, light reflectivity, Galileo's studies in pendulum motion, and advanced robotics. 18 reflective shields are perfectly balanced by computer-driven counterweights to form individual pendulums. Each pendulum has a unique paver "trigger" positioned on the Plaza. By stepping on these pavers, the sculpture can be directed to move in an infinite variety of patterns. The control system also enables the sculpture to respond to a wide range of future programing inputs, from the sound of an evening concert, to a child entering a program over the internet.
This video of the sculpture shows a sine wave - an example of energy propagation, wave form and frequency. You are seeing 9,000 lbs of structure forming a wave 16' high and 80' long, all using only a 2 second burst of energy. Linear Motion is capable of running for a year on $390 worth of electricity.